| Leading with My Chin | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 35 reviews)
Sales Rank: 962576
Category: Book
Publisher: HarperAudio
Studio: HarperAudio
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
Label: HarperAudio
Format: Abridged, Audiobook
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Audio Cassette
Number Of Items: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0694517534
Dewey Decimal Number: 792.7028092
EAN: 9780694517534
ASIN: 0694517534
Publication Date: September 1, 1996
Release Date: October 2, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Book Description
The king of late-night television and America's hardest-working comedian delivers the monologue of his life.Against the odds Jay Leno has emerged as the undisputed king of late night television as host of the # 1 -rated The Tonight Show. His twenty-year stand-up career; working alongside the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Carry Shandling, and David Letterman, was a long, hard, and laugh-filled battle to the top. In this entertaining, anecdote-filled book, Leno delivers the monologue of his life, leaving readers admiring his unstoppable wit and tenacity.
Amazon.com
So what do you expect from a celebrity autobiography? Tales of an impoverished childhood and an unappreciated early career? Angst-ridden revelation? In Jay Leno's take on the genre, tales have only one purpose--laughs. This is a book of jokey anecdotes and humorous stories marking the comedian's progress to the top. The persona of the young Leno is not so different and just as likable as the one appearing nightly on television. Whether it is his mother's advice, his teachers' complaints, or the awkward situations he finds himself in (for example, standing before an Orthodox Jewish audience who have been mistakenly led to expect a Yiddish storyteller) Leno always sees the funny side.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
 Funny, enjoyable, exactly what you would expect from Leno April 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Comedy is difficult to rate because personal taste accounts for a large degree of one's perception of the material. I have always been a fan of Jay Leno and appreciate his sense of humor, hence Leading With my Chin was very enjoyable. It falls right in line with the sense of humor you anticipate from watching the Tonight Show or any of his stand-up routines; however it is not merely a series of jokes as Leno presents an account of his life growing up in Massachusetts. If you appreciate Leno's wit and have interest in discovering the life that helped developed his sense of humor, you will enjoy this book.
A standup's life is hell. November 13, 2007
Sorry I don't usually swear...but the message I took away from this book was a standup comedian's life is hell! And Jay Leno deserves to make millions a year for being stick-to-itive. While hitchhiking, he was picked up by mean men. He slept in a garage near a car because a manager of a comedy club claimed he provided comedians with a "condo". He worked in tacky, dark places. It was awful. I'm glad he made it big! He didn't have a super affectionate family. But Leno describes them with loving acceptance.
 My Favorite in the Genre June 8, 2007
As a comedian starting the biz in 1990 myself, I enjoy reading these comedian autobiographies. It is very interesting to see how different the industry was back when some of these guys, who paved the path for the rest of us, started. I've always heard great things about Leno, that he is the hardest working guy in show business and one of the friendliest guys in the industry. He is supposedly very supportive and I know he did a free show every year at Zanies in Chicago for all unemployed people, who showed their unemployment checks to get in.
The book tells some of the best stories I've heard of coming up in the business. Leno started back when there weren't comedy clubs, more playboy rooms and strip clubs. He was one of the first club regulars and no doubt his skill, along with the others at that time, helped make the comedy club scene big. (Although I've heard criticisms about his Tonight Show monologues, Jay is known in the industry to have been one of the most talented comedians ever back when he was touring regularly.)
Jay recalls episodes of his life in an easy-to-read style and isn't afraid to tell stories revealing his strong respect and love for his parents. My favorite story wasn't a funny one at all; it was the one where Jay got his first car, even a passion back then, spent lots of time and money to get it all fixed up and was sitting in his high school classroom, staring out the window at impending sudden doom of rain, looking at his convertabile with the top down. He couldn't get to it. Suddenly, his parents drove up and... you'll have to read the book for the rest of the story.
It's also really cool to read about the other up and comers Jay came in contact with in his early years, as well as those who didn't make it or passed before their time. Among them are Jerry Seinfeld and Robin Williams. A fun, quick read for anyone who enjoys standup comedy or wants to read about a grateful star, of which there is a great shortage of today.
FUNNIEST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE! June 8, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have read this book at least THREE times. I've given it to almost everyone I know. I gave it to my nephew when he was 14. One day, we saw him shaking and crying on his bed. When I asked what was wrong, he rolled over and handed me this book!!!! He couldn't even speak, he just pointed to the part he wanted me to read. It is soooo funny. Whenever my mother feels down, she just opens it up to any page and it cheers her up. If I ever met Jay, I'd tell him this is my favorite book. I made the mistake of taking it when I was waiting to see if I would be picked for jury duty. I kept laughing out loud and everyone kept looking at me. It really is funny. I don't know if his life was this funny, or if he left out most of the bad stuff, but if you have ANY sense of humor at all, GET THIS BOOK!
Hilarious Tale of Jay's Rise February 14, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jay Leno has been entertaining the world as host of The Tonight Show every weeknight for over 13 years. His monologues covering current events are consistently funny. But his rise to this pinnacle did not come overnight. In fact, all the way up to his surprise crowning (over David Letterman) as the replacement for the retiring Johnny Carson in 1992, he was still known for little more than being a respected stand-up comedy veteran who had gained an extra reputation as a solid guest host for the show when Johnny was on vacation, as well as for his funny visits to (former) good friend Letterman's Late Night program that followed Carson.
This autobiography tells in hilarious detail, through a series of anecdotal episodes, how he struggled for years to make it in show business. From humble beginnings as the son of Italian/Scottish immigrants in Boston, through experiences with various shady characters on the mean streets of Boston, New York, LA and other places- agents, club owners, hippies, mobsters, strippers, prostitutes, johns, hustlers, rednecks and con men of every stripe- as well as discrimination in LA-LA land against his trademark chin-strong image- Leno shows how perseverence and hard work can succeed in the end, and how his desire to make people laugh kept him driven to make it, despite the odds and endless obstacles.
There is also a bit of a stand-up comedy history interwoven in the narrative, describing the rise of comedy clubs like The Comedy Store and The Improv during the 70s and the concurrent rise (and sometimes fall) of Jay's contemporaries like Letterman, Richard Lewis, Freddie Prinze, Jimmie Walker, Andy Kaufman and others.
The book winds down with the story of how he met and bonded with his wife Mavis, his ascension to the peak of the late night talk show mountain, and a touching dedication to his deceased parents. The laughs don't come quite as often, but it is a good way to finish off the tale.
Whether or not all of these occasionally hard-to-believe stories are the whole truth is moot- it's all a riot, and will have you rolling.
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